Gun sales on the rise, locally, nationally

Local gun shop owners say sales have risen sharply -- especially
among first-time buyers -- since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11,
mirroring a national trend as people who may have never owned a
firearm decide how best to protect their homes, family and
property.

According to statistics from the FBI, the jump in weapons sales
across the nation followed quickly on the heels of the Sept. 11
attacks.

"We felt it that day," said Randy Archbold, owner of The
Shootist, a gun shop on Washington Avenue in Murrieta. "We no
sooner opened our doors than we had people coming in who didn't go
to work that day and had been watching the news. They came in
asking a lot of questions. Many of them had never owned a firearm
or hadn't had anything to do with firearms for a long time."

At Accurate Arms Gun Company on Jefferson Avenue in Temecula,
owner Dave Okerlund said there was a substantial increase in
business following Sept. 11, and that sales remain brisk.

"About 75 percent of our business has come from first-time
buyers concerned with personal protection," Okerlund said. "About
90 percent of those people are buying handguns."

Well over half of those customers are husbands and wives coming
into his store to shop together, he said.

Nationally, FBI statistics for background checks for firearms
purchases rose 12 percent on Sept. 12 over the same day in 2000.
The number of background checks for gun purchases and other
transactions rose 10.5 percent for the entire month of September
2001 over the previous year, nearly 22 percent over October 2000 --
a total of 1,029,691 -- and were up more than 9 percent in November
2001 over the previous year. The checks do not represent gun sales,
but are considered the most accurate gauge of gun purchases.

"Many people who may have been considering buying a firearm
finally decided to do so after Sept. 11," Archbold said. "The
people we're seeing have really given it a lot of thought. They're
asking a lot of questions about gun safety and where they can take
safety classes."

Sales at The Shootist remain on the rise in December, even three
and a half months after the tragedy, Archbold said.

Fear of the unknown

"Sept. 11, like other catastrophes, makes people panic, makes
them fearful, makes them want to protect themselves and their
families against the enemy, who, in this case, is hard to
identify," said James Alan Fox, Lipman professor of criminal
justice at Northeastern University in Boston. "People may say, 'Let
(Homeland Security Director) Tom Ridge watch our shores, I'll watch
out for my doors," he said.

"Anytime you have an increase in crime, a catastrophe or
potential catastrophe, sales go way up," he said. "Y2K was
phenomenal for our business."

Gun-control advocates have voiced concerns about increased
sales, citing statistics showing that guns, even those purchased by
law-abiding citizens, often end up in criminals' hands. Some law
enforcement officials echo that thought and say that more guns in
circulation, particularly in the hands of the untrained, increases
the chances of violence in the home, suicide or accidental
shooting.

"That's always a concern," said Temecula Police Chief Jim
Domenoe. "It's one thing to own a gun, it's something else to know
how to use it."

Domenoe said his officers spend hours practicing with their
weapons.

"In law enforcement, even though we're not involved in a lot of
shootings out here, we do a lot of training," he said. "If someone
is not familiar with a weapon, it might present a problem. There is
a lot of responsibility when it comes with owning and keeping a gun
in your home."

Okerlund encourages first-time buyers to become familiar with
their weapons.

"I recommend that they go to a firing range and shoot the weapon
100 or 200 times," he said. "Then I tell them they should go back
to the range two or three times a year to stay familiar with how
the gun works."

Archbold said he directs first-time buyers purchasing a gun for
home protection toward either a basic .38-caliber revolver -- which
costs $200 and up -- or a basic home defense shotgun beginning at
$225.

"I'm having a tough time keeping this shelf full," he said,
pointing to a locked cabinet shelf of small- to medium-sized
handguns ranging in cost from $200 to $600.

No 'right' gun for everyone

"We try and find out what (first-time buyers') requirements
are," Archbold said. "We ask if they're looking for something
strictly for home defense or do they want to do recreational
shooting or target practice as well as home defense."

Families come in to his shop together and bring their
children.

"I like to see youths getting involved in safety programs," he
said. "I recommend a safety class for everyone."

Archbold has brochures from several different companies who
teach those classes.

"They teach basic firearm handling, safety and etiquette," he
said.

The Shootist has been in Murrieta for 11 years and Archbold has
lived in the area since 1980. In addition to firearms, the store
sells clothing, accessories, antique weapons, vintage military guns
and gun safes.

Cheap handguns, sometimes called "Saturday-night specials," are
not stocked at the store.

"The really inexpensive stuff is not for our market and we don't
keep it in our inventory," he said.

Occasionally, however, Archbold will order an inexpensive gun
for customers.

"A customer may want a handgun for personal protection but can't
afford much more than $150," he said. "In that case we'll order it
for them."

Changing Times

The times and the clientele have changed, both shop owners
agree, with the growth of the valley.

"When I first came here, almost everyone had a gun or a rifle in
a rack on their pickup truck or Jeep," Archbold said. "There used
to be a lot of hunting around here. Now there's hardly any."

The store still attracts a lot of hard-core gun and hunting
enthusiasts, he said.

"But many of the people we see now have made the decision to
take personal responsibility for their safety and the safety of
their families," he said.

Okerlund said his shop, which has been in Temecula about a dozen
years, also caters to the sporting and hunting aspects of the
firearms business, but, like Archbold's business, is seeing more
and more first-time handgun buyers.

"There are people buying firearms now who may never shoot them,"
Archbold said. "They purchase a firearm and a minimal amount of
ammunition, then store it away with no intention of firing it."

Okerlund agreed.

"Most people will never use a firearm for personal protection,"
he said. "But people know that it is impossible for law enforcement
to be everywhere when needed, especially in the rural areas around
here. They know they have protection if they need it."

The New York Times News Service contributed to this report.
Contact John Hunneman at (909) 676-4315, Ext. 2603, or
hunneman@nctimes.com.